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The Art of Pooling Resources

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The holiday season is upon us.  If we followed the big box stores and their calendar, it actually started on Thanksgiving day, but we don't follow them!  Yet, today being Hanukkah  the season has officially began.

My husband told the girls that they will each have a whopping $50 to spend for gifts.  They smiled and then wondered once they started ticking off the list of who they wanted to bless.  "and no dollar store" my husband reminded them and "no, you won't have anything left for yourself, if you do, you didn't do what you were supposed to do."

We told the girls to pool their resources and their eyes lit up!

They realized they could actually do a lot more if they planned out what gift would be most meaningful to each person and how they could find those gifts in a way that would stretch their money.

Listening to them made me think about us, the collective us.

If I have rice and you have tomatoes and our friend has beans and her friend has an onion and one more has oil - individually we do not have anything, but together, we have a wonderful meal.

The unemployment rate is dropping, but the reality is still that there are 3 people for every 1 job opportunity and the employers are compressing wages to the point of ridiculousness. Many of our collective friends and family are hurting during this holiday season.  More and more are reaching into their cabinets with nothing and aren't spending $100 on gifts.

We have to remember each other.  A little bit when put together with another little bit is a lot.  Let's do that.  And enjoy the holidays deliciously!


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